C) it were located at a higher altitude. You attend a football game one day and notice a long time difference between when the other side of the stadium stands up to cheer and when you hear them. This time difference would be lessened if A) it were warmer. B) it were less humid. C) it were located at a higher altitude. D) the fans on the opposite side shouted louder.

While watching a recent science fiction movie, one Klingon spaceship blows up a Droid spaceship with a laser gun. The Klingon crew watches out the port window and covers their ears to muffle the noise from the explosion. Scientifically, this scene is inaccurate because A) lasers can not be transmitted through the vacuum of space. B) the sound of the explosion would not be transmitted back to their ship.

In which medium would sound travel the fastest? A) across a room B) in a swimming pool C) through outer space D) through a railroad track

Jennie is sitting in the audience listening to her sisters band concert. During one song a bassoon, playing very low notes, plays a duet with a flute, playing very high notes. Jennie is having trouble hearing the flute over the bassoon. Assuming Jennie's ears are equally sensitive to the notes played by the bassoon and flute, compare and contrast the sound waves coming out of the two instruments. Be sure to use the terms amplitude, frequency, speed, and wavelength in your response.

Because the notes coming out of the bassoon are louder than those coming out of the flute the waves coming out of the bassoon have higher amplitudes than those coming out of the flute. The pitch of the flute is higher than the bassoon, so the waves coming out of the flute must have higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths than those coming out of the bassoon. Both sets of waves are sound waves traveling through air at the same temperature, so they travel at the same speed.

Electromagnetic Waves

What are electromagnetic waves? Electromagnetic waves consist of a combination of oscillating electrical and magnetic fields, perpendicular to each other. This is difficult to visualize, however the waveform has similar characteristics of other types of waves.

What are electromagnetic waves? Although they seem different, radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, and even visible light are all electromagnetic waves. They are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and each has a different range of wavelengths, which cause they waves to affect matter differently.

Characteristics of electromagnetic waves Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves, similar to water waves in the ocean or the waves seen on a guitar string. They have amplitude, wavelength, velocity and frequency.

Amplitude The amplitude of electromagnetic waves relates to its intensity or brightness (as in the case of visible light).

Wavelength The wavelengths of electromagnetic waves go from extremely long to extremely short and everything in between. The wavelengths determines the amount of energy in a wave

Velocity The velocity of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is approximately 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 kilometers per second, the same as the speed of light. When these waves pass through matter, they slow down slightly, according to their wavelength. Density slows down light waves

Frequency The frequency of any waveform equals the velocity divided by the wavelength. The units of measurement are in cycles per second or Hertz.

How are they formed? The waves are formed by heat, electronics, and nuclear forces.

Electromagnetic spectrum The range of wavelengths for electromagnetic waves--from the very long to the very short--is called the Electromagnetic Spectrum:

Electromagnetic spectrum Radio and TV waves are the longest usable waves, having a wavelength of 1 mile (1.5 kilometer) or more. Microwaves are used in telecommunication as well as for cooking food. Infrared waves are barely visible. They are the deep red rays you get from a heat lamp..

Electromagnetic spectrum Visible light waves are the radiation you can see with your eyes. Their wavelengths are in the range of 1/1000 centimeter. Ultraviolet rays are what give you sunburn and are used in "black lights" that make object glow. X-rays go through the body and are used for medical purposes. Gamma rays are dangerous rays coming from nuclear reactors and atomic bombs. They have the shortest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum of about 1/10,000,000 centimeter

What is the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave? A) There is no wavelength -- it is just a wave B) There is a whole spectrum of possible wavelengths C) Two centimeters

Which is NOT an electromagnetic wave? A) Visible light B) Radio waves C) Ultrasonic waves

How are radio waves and visible light similar? A) Both are electromagnetic waves B) Both are stopped by colored glass C) They are completely different things